Boulder County (April 30, 2015) – Seven Boulder County leaders have joined The Board of Trustees of The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County. The new additions include a bilingual college outreach and enrollment director, a hedge fund manager, two legal experts and a CPA, as well as a community leader, an estate planner, and a nonprofit strategist and fundraiser. Rebecca Chávez, Danny Hassan, Tim Kraft, Chester Kurtz, Eliberto Mendoza, Jane Caddell Paddison and Deborah Simmons will share their diverse expertise and capabilities to benefit Boulder County. Chris Hazlitt continues his term as the Board’s Chairperson and David Brantz is the new Vice-Chair.
About the new Trustees:
Rebecca Chávez – Rebecca is Director of Outreach & Enrollment Services at Front Range Community College-Boulder County Campus in Longmont.
Previously, Rebecca served as Coordinator of Outreach and Enrollment Services – her accomplishments included receiving internal grant funding for the LEADS (Leadership, Excellence, Achievement and Development Series) multicultural leadership program; collaboration with other student services managers to develop additional bilingual outreach positions; and development of a more effective student ambassador and peer mentor program. Rebecca also co-chaired the FRCC-BCC Diversity Committee and participated in the FRCC Roadmap to Achievement Leadership Program.
Danny Hassan – Danny is Managing Partner at Boulder Capital, a long/short global equities hedge fund focused on the financial services and business services/payments sectors. Danny’s experience further includes senior roles with North Sound Capital, LLC; JL Advisors, LLC; CG, Inc.; and Moody’s Investors Service.
A graduate of Columbia Business School, he has also brought his business acumen to bear on behalf of the Boulder Bridge House and a number of other area nonprofits. For The Community Foundation, he’s served on the investment committee, among other contributions.
Tim Kraft – Tim is Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Boulder Brands, a publicly traded company and one of the largest natural consumer packaged food companies in the United States.
Before joining Boulder Brands, Tim was with the law firm of Davis & Kuelthau where he focused on general corporate and transactional law. In fact, Tim has handled legal matters for Boulder Brands since 2006 when he was an integral member of the external legal team that assisted Boulder Specialty Brands, Inc. in its acquisition of the Smart Balance business. Tim’s prior experience includes various roles with Nike, Inc., Coca-Cola Enterprises and Philip Morris USA.
Chester Kurtz – Chester is a CPA, and co-founder and managing partner of Kurtz Fargo LLP, an accounting firm that emphasizes high quality tax, consulting, assurance and advisory services to closely-held and emerging growth companies. The firm is also active in the Internet and software startup ecosystem, sponsoring local accelerators TechStars and Boomtown, and the CU-Boulder School of Law’s Silicon Flatirons Entrepreneurs Unplugged series.
Chester began his career with Waidler & Associates, PC before moving on to CBIZ MHM, LLC. He currently serves on the finance committee for Foothills United Way. An avid runner, Chester also served on the local organizing committee for the 2014 and 2015 USA National Cross Country Championships.
Eliberto Mendoza – Born to migrant workers. Eliberto worked for the Texas Department of Human Services as a caseworker, assisting families living in poverty by facilitating their access to services such Food Stamps, Medicaid and TANF. Moving on to California, he earned a Master of Divinity and worked as a youth pastor, primarily with children of migrant farm workers.
Eliberto relocated to Longmont where he found his passion for community building as program director of Intercambio’s Longmont office. Eliberto then coordinated the Community Action Program’s (CAP) Circles initiative, and now serves as CAP director. Additionally, Eliberto has held leadership roles with the St. Vrain Valley Latino Coalition and the Latino Chamber of Boulder County, and served as an elder at the Central Presbyterian church in Longmont.
Jane Caddell Paddison – Jane’s firm, Jane Caddell Paddison, PC focuses on estate planning, probate and tax. Her practice areas include federal and state taxation, with a special emphasis in the estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax areas. She has represented clients in tax planning as well as tax controversy matters before the United States Tax Court, the Internal Revenue Service, and local taxing authorities. Previously, she was a shareholder with Gelt, Paddison & Grassgreen, PC in Denver.
Jane has been practicing law for more than 25 years, providing expert analysis of options and issues for tax planning, as well as strategies designed to facilitate generational asset protection planning, and to address special family needs and philanthropic interests.
Deborah Simmons – Deborah began her career in the private sector, holding a variety of corporate positions in organizational and leadership development. She served as National Program Director for the American Leadership Forum and with the Center for Creative Leadership. She also led successful sales campaigns in the United States and abroad for Fluor Daniel, Bechtel and other companies in the engineering and construction industry.
Deborah now serves as a strategic and operational leader, mentor and fundraiser for nonprofits. She’s currently involved with FOCUS Reentry, a Boulder nonprofit that provides mentors to ex-offenders coming out of Boulder County Jail. For The Community Foundation, Deborah is engaged as an Ambassador, grant reader and supporter of the School Readiness Initiative. She’s also a current participant in Leadership Boulder County.
The Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees: Chris Hazlitt, Chair; David Brantz, Vice Chair; Carmen Ramirez, Secretary; James Graham, Treasurer; Dee Andrews; Sandy Bracken; Rebecca Chavez; John Creighton; Daniel Hassan; Josie Heath; Amy Howard; Tim Kraft; Chester Kurtz; Kathy Leonard; Jane McConnell; Eliberto Mendoza; Jane Caddell Paddison; Alden Sherman; TK Smith; Deborah Simmons; and Diane Soucheray.
About The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County:
The Community Foundation is the recognized leader in preparing Boulder County for its future challenges, expanding the culture of giving, and galvanizing diverse resources to improve the quality of life for all. The Foundation has granted more than $60 million since its founding in 1991, while providing community leadership on several key initiatives.
